


Quiet Revolutions

by fangirl_squee



Series: homies help homies, always [39]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-30
Updated: 2013-09-30
Packaged: 2017-12-28 00:35:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/985525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl_squee/pseuds/fangirl_squee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Grantaire knows everything, and Marius think he’s amazing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quiet Revolutions

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again to Adri, who’s meta-discussion about Grantaire helped shape this fic, and the Beth, for her beta-ing.
> 
> References to Lessons (although this should make sense if you haven’t read that).

Grantaire makes it a point to drag Marius out to dinner at least once a fortnight, in an attempt to help Marius learn the layout of the city. They go all over the city, to cafes hidden down alleyways and tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurants. The food is always amazing, and the staff always seems to know Grantaire, greeting them cheerfully as they come in and finding them a table. It doesn’t seem to stop him from getting lost, but he does remember the restaurant names so at least he can make suggestions when he and Cosette go on dates.

 

This week it’s an Indian place, the colourful restaurant front crammed between a twenty-four hour Laundromat and a chemist. Inside, the place is absolutely packed. A mixture of students, office workers, and a few people dressed up for a night out, eating and laughing.

 

“So, how did you know about this place?” asks Marius, as they wait for a table to be free.

 

Grantaire looks down, scuffing his show on the worn blue carpet. “In high school I was at this party and … well, long story short, we got community service for a couple of weeks, and part of it was to clean off the graffiti around here. The owners of this place used to take pity on us and give up leftovers from their dinner rush after we’d finished. The food’s pretty amazing.”

 

“What did you do to get community service?” asks Marius.

 

Grantaire waves a hand. “Just like knocking over bins, causing a disturbance, you know, dumb teenage stuff.” He looks up sharply, smile teasing. “Although, I suppose you _wouldn’t_ know, since you were cloistered in the middle of nowhere.”

 

“Not all of us had the opportunity to be teen rebels,” says Marius.

 

Grantaire laughs and opens his mouth to say something, but he gets cut off by his ringtone. It’s the one he uses for community centre stuff – a loud, clanging bell. Grantaire looks worriedly at the caller ID before quickly swiping a finger across to answer it.

 

“Hey – whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, are you okay? … Do you want me to come get you? Well, that’s why I gave you the number, isn’t it? Is it safe to wait where you are?” Grantaire bites his lip, thinking. “There’s a café about a block away. It’s probably closed now, but if you bang on the door the lady who runs it, Josephine, she lives above it and she’ll come down. Just tell her you’re waiting for me and she’ll let you wait in there, okay? I’ll be like fifteen, maybe ten minutes, as quick as I can, okay? Okay. I’ll see you really soon.”

 

“Is everything all right?” asks Marius.

 

Grantaire lets out a short breath, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Well, no, but it’s easily dealt with. It’s kind of for the community centre? So, no dinner for me tonight I guess. ”

 

Marius frowns. “Did you need help with it?”

 

“You could give me a lift? I mean, if it’s not too much trouble, it’s only a couple of blocks away from here,” says Grantaire. “One of the kids from the community centre needs to be picked up.”

 

“Sure,” says Marius, “I can do that.”

 

Grantaire smiles at him, relief flooding his face.

 

“So,” says Marius as they get into the car, “who is it tonight?”

 

Grantaire had given some of the kids at the community centre his number for emergencies during his first year there. Half the reason they even get regulars to the community centre is because some to the kids don’t have anywhere to go if they were having problems with their parents, but most of the time the calls aren’t anything too serious, just forgetting to have a designated driver, but Grantaire’s worry is infectious.

 

Grantaire turns his phone around and around in his hands. “Turn left here and then it’s the third right. It’s Katie,” says Grantaire, “She had a fight with her father and doesn’t want to go home. This is it, up here.”

 

Marius knows Katie pretty well by now from tutoring sessions – she’s good at historical names (and she’s getting better at remembering dates) and loves to talk about jazz when Grantaire helps her practice piano.

 

Marius pulls up in front of a café, and Grantaire barely waits for the car to stop moving before he gets out of the car. The metal security blinds are pulled down over the windows, but Marius can see points of light shining through around the edges. Paint flakes off as Grantaire knocks on the door, and the rusty hinges screeching as it opens. Katie practically throws herself into Grantaire.

 

“Hey, whoa,” says Grantaire, “are you okay?”

 

Katie mumbles something into the bottom of Grantaire’s shirt, wrapping her small arms around him. She just barely comes up to his waist.

 

A middle aged woman in a fluffy blue dressing gown leans against the doorway. “She’s a dear little thing. You all right to take it from here?”

 

“Yeah,” says Grantaire, “thanks Josie.”

 

“No problem,” says Josephine, “you kids take care.” She smiles tiredly at the three of them, waving a hand as she goes back inside. Marius can hear the locks clanking into place as she bolts the door.

 

Grantaire crouches down to Katie’s level. “Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?”

 

Katie wipes her eyes, shaking her head.

 

“Well, you know you’re welcome to stay with us,” says Grantaire.

 

Katie bites her lip. “I don’t want to be a bother. I only called because you said to call if something like this happened and we didn’t have anywhere to stay. It’s not like an emergency.”

 

“I think having nowhere to sleep for the night qualifies,” says Grantaire, “what do you think Marius?”

 

Marius nods. “Definitely. And we have a couch free and everything, so it’s not even like it’s even any trouble for us.”

 

“Exactly,” says Grantaire.

 

She nods, climbing wordlessly into the backseat. Grantaire follows after. Grantaire and Marius exchange worried looks. Katie’s by no means the most talkative kid they know (that title goes to Gavroche), but she’s not usually so subdued.

 

Marius pulls out from the curb, heading towards home. He can see the two of them in the rear vision mirror. Katie has her head against Grantaire’s side, clinging to him, and Grantaire strokes her head.

 

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” says Grantaire softly.

 

Katie shakes her head and presses her face back into Grantaire’s side.

 

“Hey, it’s okay,” says Grantaire, “you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

 

They’re both quiet for the rest of the drive. When they reach the house, Katie clings to Grantaire’s hand as they go inside, only letting go once they reach the kitchen. She’s been here a few times before, and she climbs up to sit on her favourite spot on the counter, staring at the floor.

 

“Tea?” says Grantaire.

 

“Sure,” says Marius. He’s still hovering in the doorway.

 

“Can I have one of your hot chocolates?” asks Katie, looking up.

 

Grantaire smiles. ”Sure, I think we’ve got the stuff for it.”

 

Grantaire starts getting things out of the fridge, clattering around with saucepans as Marius chatters about his latest school assignment, and asks her about how her piano practice is going. Grantaire pours out tea for Marius, and hot chocolate for Katie, and hands them their mugs.

 

“What’s the verdict?” asks Grantaire.

 

She takes a tentative sip. “Perfect.”

 

Grantaire bows, making her laugh. There’s a pause and her smile fades a little at the edges.

 

“I guess you want me to talk about what happened now, right?” she says.

 

“Only if you want to,” says Grantaire.

 

Katie takes a deep breath. Marius can see her hands shaking a little as she grips the mug. “I failed that big maths test we had. It’s probably going to bring down my entire grade point average for that class. My dad found out and he got _so mad_ , and I know you said to try and keep a hold of my temper, but I started to get mad right back at him, and he told me to get out of his sight and I thought it sounded like a pretty good idea.” She pauses, rolling the mug between her palms. “He said … he said my mum would have be so disappointed, because they both always wanted so much for me, and, and –” Katie breaks off, biting her lip.

 

Grantaire gently takes the mug out of her trembling grip, setting it on the counter before he pulls her in for a one armed hug. She twists, burying her face in his chest.

 

“I just tried so hard,” says Katie, “and it’s like all that work I did was for nothing. I’m a disappointment anyway.”

 

“Hey,” says Marius, his voice gentle, “you are _not_ a disappointment okay?”

 

“Yeah,” says Grantaire, “take it from two experts in the field of parental disappointment, one failed test does not make you a disappointment. You have to work really hard to get to our level.”

 

Katie gives them both a watery smile.

 

“Do you need somewhere to stay for the night?” says Grantaire, “we’ve got the couch free.”

 

“If that’s okay?” says Katie. “I could probably call my Aunt Annabelle but I don’t want to drag her into it. I don’t want to be more of a nuisance than I already am, and my dad’s probably calmed down by now.”

 

“It is most certainly okay,” says Grantaire.

 

Katie smiles again, more solidly this time. “Thank you.”

 

“I’ll just go and get the spare bed stuff from upstairs,” says Marius.

 

Marius likes to think of himself as being pretty good at comforting people, but Grantaire better at parental argument aftermath, so he takes his time getting the lumpy spare blanket and a pillow from the upstairs cupboard. Marius and his grandfather might have disagreed over things their entire lives, but apart from the last time they saw each other in person they were never really in the same room long enough to have actual arguments.

 

When he comes back down, Katie is finishing the last of her hot chocolate and leaning, half-asleep, against Grantaire’s shoulder.

 

“Now, I was never any good at maths,” Grantaire is saying, “but I _do_ know a thing or two about wrecking my grade-point average, so what we could do is get someone to go over the stuff with you and then organise a retake of the test.”

 

Katie bites her lip, rolling the empty mug between her palms. “Do you think they’ll let me?”

 

“It never hurts to ask,” says Grantaire, “when you go into school tomorrow ask you teacher about it and see what they say.”

 

She looks down at her mug. “What if I do just a terribly the second time? Or even worse?”

 

“You’ll get a tutor, and you’ll do just fine,” says Grantaire, his voice gentle.

 

“I can’t afford a tutor,” says Katie.

 

Grantaire waves a hand. “I know this accountant who owes me a favour; it’s not going to cost you anything except your time.”

 

She jumps down off the counter and hugs Grantaire. “Thank you.”

 

Grantaire ruffles her hair. “I’m just doing my job. Now, it’s a school night, so off to bed. Do you need to borrow a toothbrush and stuff? I think Marius bought some spares the other day.”

 

Marius nods, smiling at the two of them.

 

She makes complaining noises about having to go to bed, but trails after Grantaire without complaint. Marius can hear her and Grantaire talking as she brushes her teeth. When they come downstairs, Katie’s wearing an old t-shirt of Grantaire’s.  She’s practically swimming in it, the hem of it going past her knees.

 

“Goodnight Marius,” she says as they go past.

 

“Goodnight Katie,” says Marius, sipping his cold tea.

 

It takes Grantaire a few minutes to come back, footsteps quiet as moves to sit down opposite Marius. Grantaire closes his eyes for a moment, rubbing a hand through his hair tiredly.

 

Grantaire lets out a breath. “I should call her father. He’s probably going out of his mind right now.”

 

Marius nods. Grantaire’s set up a lot of the community centre guidelines himself. There had been some in place before he’d started there, but a lot of them were outdated, or didn’t fit properly with the afterschool programs that Grantaire had started up.

 

“Hello, is this Katie’s father? This is Grantaire, from the community centre and – no! No, nothing like that, she’s fine. She’s a little shaken up, but she’ll be back home tomorrow after school,” Grantaire pauses, biting his lip. “Listen, it’s not really any of my business, but I know someone who’d be willing to tutor her for a little while … no, no cost. I’ll give the contact information to Katie … I don’t think that’s a good idea right now sir,” says Grantaire, his voice taking on a harder edge. “She’s asleep … if she’s up to talking to you before school tomorrow, I’ll get her to call you. Yep, uh huh. Goodnight.”

 

Grantaire taps his phone lightly against the table top after he hangs up. “Sorry I kind of ruined our dinner.”

 

“There will always be other dinner nights,” says Marius, “and, I mean, I’m pretty sure that restaurant’s not going anywhere, and being on call to help people is kind of your job.”

 

Grantaire gives him a lopsided smile. “I think you’re overestimating my abilities.”

 

“I think you’re underestimating them,” says Marius mildly.

 

Grantaire sighs, tracing one of the pencil sketches that cover the table top with a finger. “I think maybe _helping people_ is too strong a term. I’m never going to be able to change the world. At best, all I can hope that I’ve managed to make these kid’s lives a little less shitty.”

 

“Those kids … you’re changing _their_ worlds, even if you don’t think so, and then they grow up and change other people’s worlds too,” says Marius, “it’s a very quiet and very slow revolution.”

 

Grantaire huffs a laugh. “I don’t know if some people would see that as a very worthwhile revolution.”

 

“Revolution doesn’t have to be fire and blood to be worthwhile.” Grantaire still doesn’t look up, and Marius sighs. “Just because you’re not standing on a podium giving rousing speeches, that doesn’t mean that what you’re doing isn’t amazing.”

 

They’re both quiet for a few moments.

 

“You think what I do is amazing?” says Grantaire, in a small voice.

 

“Of course I do,” says Marius simply.

 

Grantaire does look up then, searching Marius’ face for something before he looks away. “Well then. I’d better go to bed so I can get up in time to help Katie get to school.”

 

“See?” says Marius. “ _Amazing_.”

 

“Maybe you’re just easily amazed,” says Grantaire, but he’s smiling.

 

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is always loved: fangirl-squee.tumblr.com/ask


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